By Will Vandervort
Here is a position-by-position breakdown of Saturday’s 3:33 p.m. kickoff (ABC/ESPN) between NC State at No. 9 Clemson.
Quarterback: Clemson’s Tajh Boyd ranks second in the nation and leads the ACC in passing efficiency with a 172.0 rating. He ranks fourth nationally in yards per attempt (9.52), seventh in touchdown passes (28), 12th in total passing yards (2,941) and ninth in total offense (330.4 per game). Mike Glennon ranks second to Boyd in TD passes (22) and yards (2,910), and is fourth in the ACC in total offense. At 6-6, Glennon is able to stand tall in a pocket and pick a defense apart. Advantage: Clemson
Running back: Andre Ellington has slipped some due to a tweaked hamstring against Duke and then a short day at the office after the Tigers jumped out to a big lead against Maryland. Ellington rushed for 55 yards in only one half of play against the Terps. With that said, look for Ellington to add to his 835 yards and put himself in position for another 1,000-yard season. Tony Creecy has started eight games and ranks second on the team with 434 rushing yards. Advantage: Clemson
Wide receiver / Tight ends: DeAndre Hopkins has 1,096 yards and 14 touchdowns this year. Only seven wide receivers in Clemson history have scored 14 touchdowns in a career. Sammy Watkins, despite a deep bruise just above his ankle, is expected to play. NC State’s Quintin Payton leads the Wolfpack with 42 catches for 669 yards. Tobais Palmer has 23 catches for 333 yards. Advantage: Clemson
Offensive line: Clemson did not give up a sack last week and the week before that the two that were allowed were charged to Boyd. Clemson is also staying physical even when teams are stacking the box to shut down the run. Clemson center Dalton Freeman is considered one of the nation’s best. NC State will play with its seventh different offensive line this season, which explains the 32 sacks it has allowed as well as having one of the worst rushing offenses in the ACC (116.8). Also starting right guard Duran Christophe will miss his second straight game due to a concussion. Advantage: Clemson
Defensive line: The Tigers have recorded 13 sacks in the last four games and the run defense continues to get better especially with the emergence of freshman D.J. Reader at nose guard. Sophomore Corey Crawford is also starting to live up to his potential at defensive end. NC State leads the ACC in sacks with 30. Junior defensive end Darryl Cato-Bishop helps lead the ‘Pack with 6.5 tackles for loss. Advantage: NC State
Linebackers: Weakside backer Rickey Dowdy leads NC State with 11.5 tackles for loss and is one of the more consistent players on the defense. Strongside backer Rodman Noel has seven tackles for loss. Clemson middle linebacker Spencer Shuey has five tackles for loss, which have all come in the last four games when he became the starter. The Tigers are also getting great production from weakside backer Tig Willard, who ranks second on the team with 70 tackles. Advantage: NC State
Secondary: If the Tigers thought they were tested by Duke quarterback Sean Renfree, they do not know anything yet. Glennon is clearly the best quarterback the Tigers have faced to this point. It’s going to take a big effort by the secondary this week to slow down Glennon and the ‘Packs wide receivers. It’s not going to be any easier for NC State’s secondary, in fact, it might be harder. The Wolfpack rank 95th nationally in pass defense, and Clemson has the best quarterback and wide receiver grouping they will face or have faced all season. Cornerback David Amerson has 17 career interceptions and Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney says he “dominated” the Tigers receivers last year. Advantage: Clemson
Special teams: Clemson continues to be solid with its coverage teams and it will have to be that way again on Saturday. Palmer had a 100-yard kickoff return in the Wolfpack’s win over Wake Forest last week, while punt returner Rashard Smith has a 73-yard punt return for a score to his credit this year, too. Kicker Nicklas Sade is 10 of 16 on field goals with a long of 50 yards. Advantage: NC State
Prediction: Look, Clemson can score on anyone it plays. It has proven that even when it has a bad day offensively. However, NC State will be a good challenge defensively for the Clemson offense. The only reason is because of the pressure it brings. The Wolfpack will blitz off the edge, up the middle or will bring pressure with just four, but they hide the way they do it. Regardless, they get to the quarterback better than anyone in the ACC and that could present a problem. However, should the Tigers pick up these timely blitzes then Boyd will have more than enough time to find his playmakers and pick apart what is a poorest secondary. The Clemson defense will be challenged early and often as well by Glennon and NC State’s explosive playmakers. This could turn into a shootout, but I think the defenses will make some plays and keep the score lower than expected. No. 9 Clemson 30, NC State 20